Manchester United have been hit by Fergie-mania during their tour of the Far
East and Australia after hiring a Sir Alex Ferguson lookalike to take care
of the Premier League trophy.

Jim Turner, a 63-year-old Northern Irishman, has been tasked with protecting the trophy throughout the club’s three-week trip to Bangkok, Sydney, Yokohama, Osaka and Hong Kong.

And despite the appointment of David Moyes as Ferguson’s successor following the 71-year-old’s retirement as United manager at the end last season, Turner’s presence on tour has led to chants of ‘Fergie, Fergie,’ whenever he appears alongside the trophy.

"It's incredible,” Turner said. “So many fans think I'm Sir Alex, especially when we were in Bangkok for the first leg of the tour.

“I had hundreds asking for my picture and autograph, it was amazing.

"They ask for pics and autographs and I say 'Who do you think I am?' and they say 'Sir Alex.’

"Everywhere I go I get mistaken for Sir Alex. America, the Far East, you name it.

“I've even had people arguing with me when I've told them I'm not him. They say 'It is you, you're him!' so I can't win sometimes.”

Turner admits that supporters began to confuse him with Ferguson when he started to grow his hair in recent years.

"I used to have my hair cropped, a No.2 all over, and I was a bit fatter in the face,” Turner said. “Then I grew my hair and the first time I got mistaken for Sir Alex I was walking around the stadium at Old Trafford.

"A group of Chinese fans who had come for a tour of the ground started chasing me and I thought 'What's going on here?'

“I thought they were going to ask me for directions or something, but they asked for a photo with me.

"I tried to explain I wasn't Sir Alex, but they didn't believe me. I've been in China, Malaysia, places like that, where the fans are fanatic and they're convinced I'm him.

"When Sir Alex saw me once he joked and said 'You look nothing like me!' But he should be grateful people think I'm him as I'm eight years younger!